September 01, 2009

DSU alumna Quincy Lucas, class of 2004 and 2007, is engaging the entire state of Delaware in her fight against domestic violence by holding an awareness walk this fall – the first-ever event concerning this issue that has been held in the First State.

To be held on the morning Saturday, Oct. 3, the Witney’s Lights Walk/5K Run event will begin with registration at 8 a.m. followed by the walk/run start time of 9:30 a.m. The 5K route will be a double-loop walk or run beginning at Silver Lake Park in Dover and coursing twice through Downtown Dover and back to the park.

Throughout the morning there will be music and festivities at Silver Lake in connection with the Witney’s Lights event, and there will be an awards ceremony there also at 11 a.m.

Mrs. Lucas has been a longtime advocate against domestic violence since the murder of her sister Witney Holland Rose in 2003. Witney was senselessly killed by her ex-boyfriend in Baltimore, and ever since Mrs. Lucas has made it her mission in life to raise awareness about domestic violence.

Mrs. Lucas and her husband Dr. Kevin Lucas have created a non-profit organization named after her sister – Witney’s Lights, Inc. – that is dedicated to raising awareness and spreading education about the issue of domestic violence. Her advocacy was given great momentum when it caught the attention of then-U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden, Jr., as Mrs. Lucas’ work on the issue related greatly to the legislator’s landmark Violence Against Woman Act of 1994.

That connection later resulted in an invitation for Ms. Lucas to give the official nomination of Sen. Biden as the running mate for then-presidential candidate Barack Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Following the Obama-Biden victory in November, Ms. Lucas and family were asked to accompany the president on the historic Inauguration Train, during which she was asked to introduce the then-president-elect during the journey stop in Baltimore.

All this has served to focus more attention on Mrs. Lucas’ advocacy against Domestic Violence, which she has parlayed in more active work on this issue – including the planned Oct. 3 awareness walk.

Mrs. Lucas says that with 2,800 reported cases of domestic violence last year in a relatively small state such as Delaware, there is a tremendous need for greater awareness and attention to the issue in the First State.

“The Witney’s Lights Walk/5k Run is not the answer to ending domestic violence, but it a strong way to bring awareness to it,” Mrs. Lucas said. “The problem is people don’t talk about it.”